Archives - Transcript

24 June 1999

The Foundling

Caroline Jones

Hello Iím Caroline Jones. In the winter of 1919 just after the end of the First World War a new born baby girl was abandoned on this street corner (Nelson and Queen Street) in Woollahra in Sydney. That baby girl is now an eighty year old woman called Dorothy Bedson and for most of her life Dorothyís been on a quest to find her family. It all looked hopeless until an amazing chain of coincidence led to a breakthrough. But itís taken the modern miracle of DNA testing finally to unlock this lifelong mystery.

THE FOUNDLING

Dorothy Bedson

My life has been a performance for which I actually had no chance to rehearse. It was a very happy childhood. Brought up by the Spencer family in Concord.

There were lots of different traumas in my life that I didnít want to sit down and discuss with friends.

Talking on Tape

I had the feeling though my mother always wanted a little girl that she could dress up and grow up to perhaps keep her company.

Dorothy

People have hurt me and I dwell on it. I am a dweller on these things.

Taping

I remember that I was very spoilt and could quite well be described as a little brat.

Dorothy

As the things came into my mind I sort of took it year by year and moment by moment but by talking them out on the recorder I got it out of my system.

Taping

One look from my father was sufficient to shut me up for the rest of the day.

Allan Bedson, Dorothyís husband

She felt as though she wasnít as good as the rest of the people. Like she thought she was you know.. adopted, and more or less abandoned. And um that affected her outlook Iíd say. She just felt she was a bit inferior to everybody else.

Dorothy

I was one of Australiaís abandoned babies in 1919 and found on the corner of Queen and Nelson streets in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra. I was wrapped in a shawl and well nourished apparently. On the outside was a grey coat.

In May must have been cold. The lady who left me, had her reasons for doing it but theyíd better be pretty good, to leave me in the street. See I always thought that people would say about me that if I did anything wrong or got into trouble or whatever, theyíd say "aw well what do you expect, you didnít know where she came from, she came off the street anyway". So you know that lived with me.

John Whitehall, Dorothyís son

There was this primordial shaking of her being that seemed to come more to the surface as the time went by and revealed by a quest to try and work out where sheíd come from.

Old Photos being shown

Dorothy

I grew up in a very happy existence with my adoptive parents the Spencers. My father was in the Police Force for thirty years and my mother was one of the most wonderful people you could ever meet. I had two elder brothers and so life was pretty fine, no problems.

John

These old fading photographs of a small black haired girl running around everywhere. So I think she was very happy. She thought that she belonged to the family.

Dorothy

I had no idea I was adopted or abandoned or anything to do with that sort of life. And then I met this boy and we just became friends. I donít know how we got on the subject of adoption. But one day he just said to me "I heard you were adopted" and when he saw the impact that he made he just beat a hasty retreat and ran home.

John

I think that the whole thing was fraudulent and that everyone that she looked around had known that she wasnít the person that she thought she was. I think that was a great humiliation for her.

Dorothy

Everybody in Concord knew. All my friends, everyone. Nobody would talk to me about it. Until such time as I met my first husband. We were married in August 1941. He was in the Second Tenth AGH.

Scenes of troops going off to war.

And they were going away. And I think they had a good premonition of what was happening. He just said, out of the blue, being sort of romantic and sentimental, and those times tendered to get you like that, "wherever you are, you watch that star at night and keep in mind that we will be watching it too and so we wonít be very far away". And thatís why I love that song "when you wish upon a star".

He was killed in the fall of Singapore on the 7th February and if ever I kind of get into trouble particularly the endless search of adoptions, there is a big star out there. I have looked at it many times.

It was unreal and it was a nightmare. Anyway my son was born in the June that year and my adoptive parents were very good to me so I went back there and looked after them and actually John was born the night Sydney was shelled so I mean it was quite dramatic that way. I thought my last hour had come.

John

She was a young lady at that time when she had these double blows I.. I still think that thereís something about her inner psyche which has been scarred I suppose to use a medical word and you donít get over scars like that

Allan, husband

I first met Dorothy in 1948 and we were married in 1951. She told me a week after we met that sheíd been adopted and she was very sensitive about this and um she wanted to know how I felt about it. I said it means absolutely no difference to me weíre all on earth together and your circumstances is quite alright with me.

Allan

She felt that she should continue on and make a search for her family and um itís fifty-one years since I met her and sheís been at it for those fifty-one years.

Dorothy

My father particularly would never discuss and he lived for about six months after mum died. I nursed her through Alzheimers I tried even in Alzheimers to get her to tell me who this little girl was.

Well the night they read Dadís Will, they called a family conference around the table at Concord. And they just read this Will out that everything was to be left between my two brothers and my name wasnít mentioned in any way whatsoever. I just donít know why. But people can be pretty hard when they like and they had the weapon to use.

Allan

I was present there at that time when they read it out and I felt very sorry for Dorothy. Because it was another let down for her because she thought so much for the adoptive family. And Iíll say this that they were very lovely people. Not only to her because you can see the way sheís turned out and I think weíre all disappointed that um that she wasnít one of that family.

Dorothy

I get a bit antagonistic to people with families. They drive me up the wall. But this just lacks from self-esteem though.. I didnít have a family. Itís hard to understand but thatís how I felt. Iíd say resentful, empty, and envious perhaps but Iíve got over it. Iíve probably been a bit hard to get on with at times.

Allan

Look at the stress thatís been put on um.. people of Dorothyís age. Theyíve gone all through those years, suffering and searching.

Dorothy

We moved away from Sydney in 1982 to the Illawarra area.

Marie Shaw (talking to Dorothy)

But to have the information that you received from the Archives made it a really remarkable day.

Dorothy

My friend Marie Shaw has helped me tremendously. Sheís supported me many times when Iíve been down. And I think I owe a lot to her for her support. Sheís never got tired of me.

Marie

How do you feel now about what youíve found out in recent weeks.

Dorothy

I still canít come to terms with it actually.

Dorothy

She said sheíd love to accompany me to Sydney and weíd spend a day at the Mitchell Library.

So I just looked under the Spencer name and I looked under 1919 to see if there were any records like you see on the news a baby abandoned or left in a paper bag somewhere or something like that. So there were hours spent at the Mitchell Library really.

We went to the Police Archives in the Rocks and itís the first and only time Iíve ever been there. And itís amazing and this man handled all these old books with gloves and he was very helpful. I got the most vital piece of information there that Iíd ever get. We did find in one of the gazettes in May 1919 that this baby was found. That tallied up with the other information that I had. But that is the baby that I was. But then I just got to the stage where um I couldnít search any more. I mean where else was I going to go. Iíd exhausted all channels.

Sarah Berryman, Benevolent Society of NSW

We opened in April 91 and Dorothy first rung us on the 24th of that month. So she actually was one of our first callers to talk about the issue of the way she had been born and the way her adoption had occurred and to find out whether there was any way we could help her in her search.

Sarah talking to Dorothy

I know itís hard to come down to earth after all this.

Sarah

The issue of foundlings I guess is one of the most difficult ones we come across. In that all the hundreds and thousands of people we talk to, and thereíve been about 34 thousand of those kind of calls, that weíve received, in the last eight years, they all talk about the difficulty of their search and what have you but thatís really when at least they know the name of the person that gave birth to them. With Dorothy and the small number of people like her, they donít have that information. So it makes the whole proposition much more complicated.

Post adoption resource centre tries to stay in contact with a lot of magazines and Marie Claire is one of the ones that seems to be willing to do really detailed features on the adoption issues. They had the idea of doing something about foundlings so we managed to get an interview with Dorothy and be photographed and talk about the frustration of not knowing.

Dorothy

And then that was published and I didnít hear any more about it for a while well I wasnít very well at the time and sort of thought aw well nothings going to happen.

Show Scenes

Show bags show bags only five dollars each.. show bags

Sarah

About a year and half after the article a lady in South Australia actually saw the magazine twice which makes this story even more incredible. The first magazine was brought back from a show in South Australia in a show bag with some other old magazines. The ladyís daughter looked at the magazine briefly and put it to one side. Quite soon afterwards a younger member of the family was given another show bag with the same magazine in it.

Staggering. This time they paid more attention to the magazine. Looked at the article, saw the photograph of Dorothy and thought this lady really looks like my grandmother, which is..we couldnít believe it when we heard the story.

Dorothy

And this lady corresponded with me and then through that I seem to remind them more and more of a deep dark secret in their life and so she asked me would I go for DNA testing, which I agreed to.

John

I felt sad for them, I felt worried for them both but my mother being what she is, there was no holding her back, so I guess, we the rest of the family, thought aw well weíll go along with this and pick up the pieces if there are pieces at the end of it.

Dr. Brian McDonald, Molecular Geneticist

Firstly we needed a sample of DNA from eachÖ Dorothy and her potential niece and this was obtained by a simple mouth swab. When we do this testing we look at variable part of the mitrecondrial DNA and itís an area called the D loop region and generally if two mitrecondrial drive from the same person or through the same maternal line these D loops will be identical between individuals.

We did the test. We amplified the DNA for the D loop regions of Dorothy and her niece or putative niece, analysed them on the gel and they gave identical patterns.

Dorothy

And low and behold I got the word back by phone first from the DNA labs that there was a positive link with this family. Well that sort of shocked both of us.

Allan

Thereís nothing like receiving the official notice in your hand. And when she ah received that she practically collapsed. Because at last after all these years and that paper was handed to her by the Doctor.. You now have a family.

Dorothy

That just absolute finished me. I went into a hyperventilation attack and had to finish up on a nebuliser for half an hour before I came home. Because I couldnít believe it and I still canít believe it. I know itís true, but I still canít believe it. After.. So I know that Iíve often wondered why Iíve hung out for eighty years and I know now thereís some reason behind all the traumas that have happened in my life and Iíve only told you half of them believe me.

John Whitehall, Dorothyís son

I donít know what it is in me that just canít say I totally believe. But I guess the evidence is getting such that I ought to really become a convert to this.

Sarah (talking to Dorothy)

So how are you?

Dorothy

I donít think I could describe it Sarah.. I really donít. Itís been mind boggling. Seems to be like a miracle.

Sarah

Yeah.. it must feel that way.

Sarah

Sheís been through a real roller coaster of hopes and of emotions and itís caused her to think quite differently I think, about the life that sheís had. Itís caused her to really question the way that this information has been handled in her life and itís bound to have caused some feelings of confusion.

Dorothy (talking to Sarah)

But youíve certainly done your work.

Dorothy

Itís a happy feeling but itís a feeling that I couldnít explain. One minute I feel happy, the next minute I feel very bewildered. I feel apprehensive and I know they want to meet me.

I guess Iíll just have to wait till I meet them and see how they accept me then. Iíd like to meet them once but I just feel sort of tired in my life that I donít know how I can handle it. All this sort of bewilders me.

Is this a thing thatís going to give me another shock. Am I going to have life offer me something and as itís done many times in the past Iíve just got my fingers on it and itís been grabbed away. And I thought am I going to have to go through another experience now of finding out this isnít true. So the emotions are very mixed at the moment. I might settle down.

Due to ill health, doctors have advised Dorothy to proceed with the reunion Ďone step at a timeí.

The families plan to meet towards the end of this year.

LIFEíS A DRAG

Hi Iím Rob Oberg. Iíve been announcing drag racing for 21 years. Our next Australian Story is about Victor Bray, a third generation tomato farmer whoís become a world record holder in drag racing and heís now one of the most popular personalities in Australian motor sport.

Commentator

"coming up right now .. Victor Bray. He is the four times Australian Champion in top

door slamming.. He canít be beaten Ö

Victor Bray

Every single time they strap me in the race car Iím afraid of the car. Itís.. theyíre scary cars.

"Bray has won the super trophy."

Victor Bray

Letís not really call it afraid of the car.. lets call it.. you have to have respect for something thatís that dangerous and that fast and has that much horse power. You have to be ready to make sure that you understand the car.. Itís the boss.. it owns you.. It runs you but yeah every time they strap me in the car you have to be concerned about what your doing and so as the engine starts that concern must leave your mind because you have a job to do and anything that affects what youíre doing with that job might hurt you.

Well here we are. This is the Bray family farm. Weíve been farming here for four generations mainly tomatoes and you know we believe weíve got the best tomato in the world as far as eating quality goes and we work real hard on it to keep it that way.

Ron Bray, Victorís father

Victor was growing tomatoes with me but heís been deflected temporarily by his success in the drag racing business.

He always says heíll come back and Iím sure one day he will. When he slows down.

Victor

The first car I ever had was a Ford Prefect.. Bought it from some people up the road here and I er.., thrashed it around and then we burnt a valve out on the car.. and I thought aw well thatís this car buggered.. push it down the hill..aw thatís it sheís over. The motor doesnít run good any more and Dad took the head off it with me and we got it going and I thought to myself.. I was amazed .. how you can fix them.. They just donít break. You can thrash them till theyíre broken and then you can fix them then you can thrash them till theyíre broken again. This is the best thing in the world. This is the greatest thing Iíd ever seen so.

Ben Bray, Victorís son

This is what my Dad taught me. Now this is something he didnít taught me.

Victor

When youíre fifteen you know everything see. Thereís nothing in the world you donít know and you canít listen to anybody older than you because they donít know anything half as much as you know.

Ben

This is my rally track that Dad always tells me not to use. So I use it anyway.

Marrie Bray, Victorís wife

The whole familyís involved in racing.. Cars have always been a way of our life.

Victor talking to Ben

Mate have you been trashing the mini up there with the nut trees around

Ben

Yep

Victor

Ö Youíve been tearing my lawn to bits.

Ben

Thatís the fun bit.

Victor

Itíll be the fun bit in a minute when Iím tanning your backside.

Ben

Dad can build motors pretty fast. He likes to build them slow so he knows exactly what clearance everything has. And it looks pretty magnificent when you sit there and watch dad build one and I wouldnít know half of the stuff he does to it. He knows it all by heart. People would have it written down but I like the way dad builds all his stuff. Carefully.

Victor

What I really like is with a car that you build yourself.. something that you put together yourself .. Thatís all Iíve ever had. I just love the mechanical side of it. you know the engineering side of it . Although Iíve never been formally trained as a mechanic or engineer it's great to be able to put it together yourself.

You design the gearbox the clutch.. You design all the settings in the car and drag racing has to be the ultimate hands on motor sport.

Ben

Yeah I see dad as a hero in my eyes heís one of the best racers out there I reckon. He knows when to back off and stay on it. Heís a real good racer dad.

Marrie Bray, Victorís wife

Yeah I worry every run. I think its just part of the call I suppose. Anything can go wrong and it all can happen so quick.

File footage - 1997

Race commentator

These guys are looking to a New World record for door slammer.

Victor

What happened we were both going down the race track.. my super charger explodes off the car so I slowed down and luckily I did because Peterís actually exploded into fire.

Commentator

One of the biggest fires Iíve ever seen in a Ö

Ben

From the start and all we saw was a big red glow and we thought it was dad at first and they said it was Peter Grouch and then they didn't know who it wasÖ

Commentator

Peter Grouch is in big trouble

Ben

It took dad and the fire crew to get him out because dad seems to always be there on time when it comes to a fire.

Commentator

Heís out.. Heís okay.

Ben

Heís pulled two guys out of fires now so. .. He could be the hero of the day.

1999 Winter Nationals Ė record crowd of 40,000

Victor

Well this is what itís all about. This is the Start line of the Willowbank raceway. It starts over there at those three little beans.. that white line and it goes 400 hundred metres that way and then thatís the end of it.

Commentator

Coming up is the man himself whoís not in the field at the moment.. Victor Bray.

Victorís going a lot better. Theyíre making a good race of it.

Victor

I donít know weíre struggling pretty bad weíre not even in the field yet.. Two qualifiers have gone down and only once or twice in my whole career have I ever even gone to the final qualifying session and not been in the field. So weíre not looking too good at the moment.

Rob Oberg, Drag Racing Commentator

Victor Brayís extremely popular with the crowds.

Victor talking to fans

Iíll try to do a little bit better for you in the future.. okay.

Rob

Without doubt the number one drawcard in the sport. You only have to go anywhere near his pit area and you find out that thereís always a bigger crowd at the ropes looking on,

People donít like Victor Bray one week and barrack for somebody else the next. Once theyíre a Victor Bray fan.. theyíre a Victor Bray fan.

Victor

Is just the best thing and I just like to get out there and get the old engine screaming and itís a major part of drag racing. Itís the attraction of drag racing so I just love doing them burns.

Commentator

Put your hands together for Victor Bray.

Victor

So weíre in the field weíll get the run. We get the run race. Better than sitting in the pits.

Race commentator

Victor Bray

Victor

I got through that one. That was pretty cool.

Commentator

Victor Bray into the finals.

Marrie Bray, Wife

Yeah he is in the finals. So weíre all really excited but weíve still got to get through the race first.

I hope he wins.

Race Commentator

Victorís there now waiting.. now Andrew Searle .. the final ÖAndrew Searleís out in front.. Victorís charging at him. Victor... AndrewÖ Andrew Searle takes it. By 644 to a 645.

Victor

Yeah aw well so there you go thatís our little winter nationals for this year. You come real close. Closer than weíve come before.

Marrie Bray, wife

Yeah it ended really good actually. Iím really proud of him.

Trophy Presenter

Runner up for 1999 and also the Australian top door slammer champion Victor Bray.

Victor

An evident climb eh. Come out here and win ourselves one of these (shows trophy). Sun goes down, we pack the truck up and in the morning we wake up.. What have we got in front of us? Tomatoes. Weíre back on the farm, back into it tomorrow.

Victor

Weíve got a bit of ground at the back of the house we were going to plough up and we are going to start planting a bit of stuff. No Benís keen. Heís pushing me all the time to get it ready. So itíll be good. Love doing it. Love to teach him how to drive, Iíll love to teach him how to grow tomatoes. Itíll be great.

Ron Bray, Victorís father

Aw well I think Victorís starting to realise that his health depends on him slowing down. He can always come back to tomatoes. Thatís a good relaxing way to go mad.

Victor

Me and Maria were over in the United States buying a few parts and we found ourselves down in Mexico and we were at a swap meeting and we found this car here for sale so I bought it for Marrie for her birthday.

Itís a barrel of fun I can tell you.

The Brayís biggest win to date has been 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize at the National Tomato Championships.